Sunday, August 01, 2004

"In this country intellectual cowardice is the worst enemy a writer or journalist has to face, and that fact does not seem to me to have had the discussion it deserves. ... The sinister fact about literary censorship in England is that it is largely voluntary. Unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban. Anyone who has lived long in a foreign country will know of instances of sensational items of news - things which on their own merits would get the big headlines - being kept right out of the British press, not because the Government intervened but because of a general tacit agreement that 'it wouldn't do' to mention that particular fact." - text of Orwell's Preface to Animal Farm Make sure you buy a copy of Animal Farm with the preface. CLICK HERE: This copy does include Orwell’s proposed but unpublished preface to the original edition